Alert archive / Arkansas / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 15, NWS Memphis, TN
NWS Memphis, TN issued this tornado warning at Apr 13, 1998, 7:02 PM CDT for Clay County, Arkansas. It was in force for 58 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Apr 13, 1998, 7:02 PM CDT (00:02 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 13, 1998, 8:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 58 min
- Issued by
- NWS Memphis, TN
- Area
- Whole counties
County Clay County, AR
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 7:30 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Palatka, AR |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 6:30 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 176 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 652 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -7 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 898 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 62 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 207 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 223 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.8
- Supercell composite
- 3.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
093 WFUS1 KMEM 140004 RRA TORMEM ARC021-140100- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 702 PM CDT MON APR 13 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS ...CLAY COUNTY AT 700 PM..DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER NORTHEAST RANDOPLH COUNTY FROM MAYNORD TO MINORCA MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR SUCCESS..PALATKA AND DATTO BY 715 PM..AND CORNING BY 730 PM. .DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 13, 4:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 55 minutes before
ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017- 020>024-030-031-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>054-088>092-140900- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 407 PM CDT MON APR 13 1998 THIS OUTLOOK COVERS THE COUNTY WARNING AREA OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN MEMPHIS TENNESSEE..INCLUDING WEST TENNESSEE..NORTH MISSISSIPPI..EAST ARKANSAS AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTY WARNING AREA INCLUDING EAST ARKANSAS..THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL..WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI. AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES EASTWARD THROUGH THE MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND INTO THE GREAT LAKES TONIGHT. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM HAVE TRANSPORTED ABUNDANT GULF MOISTURE INTO THE REGION AND DESTABILIZED THE ATMOSPHERE. IN ADDITION..THE VERTICAL WIND PROFILE HAVE STRENGTHEN AND BECOME FAVORABLE FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS ARKANSAS TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND MOVE INTO THE MID-SOUTH LATER THIS EVENING. SOME OF THESE COULD POSE THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS..ALTHOUGH WIND PROFILES WILL SUPPORT A FEW TORNADOES. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS...STORM SPOTTER GROUPS...AND OTHER INTERESTED CONCERNS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION AS ACTIVATION COULD BE REQUESTED LATER THIS EVENING.
Special weather statement, Apr 13, 4:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 55 minutes before
ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017- 020>024-030-031-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>054-088>092-140900- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 407 PM CDT MON APR 13 1998 THIS OUTLOOK COVERS THE COUNTY WARNING AREA OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN MEMPHIS TENNESSEE..INCLUDING WEST TENNESSEE..NORTH MISSISSIPPI..EAST ARKANSAS AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTY WARNING AREA INCLUDING EAST ARKANSAS..THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL..WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI. AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES EASTWARD THROUGH THE MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND INTO THE GREAT LAKES TONIGHT. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM HAVE TRANSPORTED ABUNDANT GULF MOISTURE INTO THE REGION AND DESTABILIZED THE ATMOSPHERE. IN ADDITION..THE VERTICAL WIND PROFILE HAVE STRENGTHEN AND BECOME FAVORABLE FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS ARKANSAS TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND MOVE INTO THE MID-SOUTH LATER THIS EVENING. SOME OF THESE COULD POSE THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS..ALTHOUGH WIND PROFILES WILL SUPPORT A FEW TORNADOES. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS...STORM SPOTTER GROUPS...AND OTHER INTERESTED CONCERNS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION AS ACTIVATION COULD BE REQUESTED LATER THIS EVENING.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 7:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MEG | Clay | 24 min |
| Apr 13, 10:02 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Lawrence | 28 min |
| Apr 13, 10:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Greene | 45 min |
| Apr 13, 11:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Cross | 50 min |
| Apr 13, 11:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Mississippi | 50 min |
| Apr 14, 12:22 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Cross | 48 min |
| Apr 14, 12:48 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MEG | Crittenden | 37 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes in 1998
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.